“Tabby.”
She turned around and faced her Alpha. She made sure to keep her gaze glued to the small scar on the side of his nose. She had no idea why that seemed to amuse him, but it did. “Yes, Alpha?”
“What punishment should Gary suffer for his attack on you?”
“And attempted rape,” Alex growled behind her.
The amusement fled Max’s face. “Attempted rape?” He glared down at Gary. “You tried to rape another man’s mate?”
“Stop.” Gabe Anderson stepped forward, the Pride Marshall behind him. Both men looked grim. “This man is hereby declared rogue. Therefore, he’s mine.” He grinned, the look vicious. “I wondered how it would feel to go on a Hunt. Now I know.”
Gary cringed for the first time. “What?”
“You not only disobeyed the local Alpha, you attempted something that is considered anathema to all shifters. You tried to rape another man’s mate. That makes you rogue.” Gabriel Anderson suddenly seemed ten times more dangerous than he’d ever been. He lifted Gary by his neck, ignoring the choking sounds the Wolf made and the astonished gasps of his Pridemates. “Had you succeeded and run, I would have Hunted you down. Maybe I would have turned you over to the Senate for justice.” He dragged Gary’s face closer, his fangs displayed, his eyes flashing gold. “Maybe.” He dropped Gary to the ground. “Now you’ll be taken in.
You’ll be taken before a Tribunal. And I’ll see to it that you pay for what you’ve tried to do today.” He leaned down. Gary shuddered, his face pinched and gray.
“And if you try to escape me, I’ll let Bunny have you.” He whispered in Gary’s ear for a long time. Tabby couldn’t quite make out what was said, but she got the impression that Gabe was filling Gary in on Alex’s reputation and how he’d gotten it. “Do we understand one another?”
Gary looked ready to piss himself as he darted a horrified glance toward Alex.
“Yes sir.” He no longer looked like a wannabe Alpha. He looked like the young punk he really was, and he was terrified.
“Good.” Gabe clapped his hands together loudly, startling not only Tabby, but everyone else as well. “You two morons, get up. You’ll be spending a few days in jail while I arrange for your Tribunal.”
The Wolves got to their feet, shuffling pathetically. Tabby had no sympathy.
They’d nearly killed Julian and her, and for what? Sport? Because they could?
“Why?”
The Wolves stopped. Gary turned to her. There was fear in his eyes. “Why what?”
“Why did you do this? Why have you harassed me? What did I ever do to you?”
He blinked. One of the wolves behind him opened his mouth, but shut it at a sharp gesture from Gary. The Wolf’s eyes darted to Gabe, and if she didn’t know better she’d swear there was something he was dying to tell the Hunter. “We’re Wolves. You’re weak, alone. Abandoned by your Pack for being unworthy. What were we supposed to do, ignore you?”
Max shook his head, looking disgusted. “We aren’t animals that turn into humans. We’re just the opposite, humans blessed with the ability to share our lives with our animals. And Tabby’s Pack might have been stupid enough to let her go, but she’s part of my Pride now. That means she’s no longer fair game for idiots like you who think they’re in a bad werewolf movie.” He waved his hand.
“Get them out of here before I change my mind and let Bunny eat them.”
The two morons did wet themselves in fear. Tabby felt better already.
Max was staring at Julian, his expression concerned. “Get Julian to Jamie. He’ll make sure the Bear is taken care of.”
“He’ll live.” Ryan sat back on his ass, his face full of weary triumph. “I got most of the bleeding stopped, but if he doesn’t wake up soon, he’s going to have scarring.”
“Jamie can help with that. Can he be moved?”
Ryan eyed the Puma Alpha. “Care to lend a paw? Because I’m not hauling a three-hundred-pound Bear through the woods all by myself.”
“We’ll all carry him.” Bunny gestured to Adrian and Simon. “Grab his ass, I’ll get his head.”
The two men exchanged a glance. Adrian shrugged. “I don’t know about you, but I really don’t swing that way.”
Simon snickered.
“Oh, move, you big dorks.” Emma Cannon, now human again, bounced around her mate. She wrapped both hands around Julian’s ass and heaved. And heaved.
Julian didn’t even jiggle.
Emma glared at the Pumas, her hand under the Bear’s ass, her own stuck up in the air. Every single pair of male eyes went immediately to the treetops overhead, save one. Those sky blue eyes admired his mate’s naked ass as she strained to lift a five-hundred-pound Bear by the butt. Yet she still managed to sound like a queen when she demanded, “A little help here, please!”
The Pumas moved en masse to obey their Little General. “It’s like watching Super Grover,” Ryan muttered.
And despite everything that had happened, Tabby found herself laughing as she hauled an unconscious Bear back to her car. “Guys? What do we do with him once we’ve got him there? Tie him to the hood?” Ow. Stupid stick. She hopped on one foot and almost dropped the butt cheek she was currently hoisting.
The white Bear opened one eye and winked at her. He was going to be all right.
She chose not to say anything, but let her Pride carry him. After what he’d done both for her and for Chloe, Julian deserved a little pampering.
“Hey! He winked at me!”
Simon laughed. “You may not swing that way, Adrian, but apparently he does.”
“Did you know you have a green Mohawk when you’re Wolf?”
His Tabby blinked up at him. “Huh?”
Bunny laughed, wiping wet green hair from her eyes. “Yup.” He ruffled the top of her head, rinsing out the shampoo. “Right about here. Lime green, just like your hair.”
She snorted. “I do not.”
“Do too.”
She tickled his side, earning an undignified giggle. “Do not.”
He slapped her hands away carefully. “Do too.”
“I’ve seen myself in ponds, Baloo. Trust me, there’s no green there.”
“Oh, yes there is, baby.” He reached for the washcloth and soaped it up, being careful to be very gentle with her bruised flesh. Inside, he was still snarling and snapping. There was blood on her skin, her blood. If he knew where Gabe had taken Gary, the Wolf might not live to see the Tribunal. But he didn’t know where Halle’s jail was. Tabby had refused to say, and then the little cheater had gotten naked. One look at the bruises and marks on her body and he’d whisked her into the shower, eager to ease her hurts. The only way to soothe his Bear was to wash away the evidence of her ordeal from her sweet skin, using his powers to heal as much of the damage as he could without falling over. “I’ll make a deal with you.”
“Hmm.” She leaned into the strokes of the washcloth, her eyes closed, her throat exposed. It was fucking incredible the way she trusted him to take care of her. To never, ever hurt her. “Okay. What deal?”
“You shift and I’ll take a picture. If I’m right, I get the sexual favor of my choice.”
He stroked the washcloth between her legs, grinning when she gasped. “If I’m wrong, you get a sexual favor, anything you want.” He blinked and added, “That doesn’t include a third party.”
She chuckled. “Fine.” She stroked his hardening cock, slanting him a sultry look from under those long lashes of hers. “I already know what I want. Do you?”
Bunny shuddered. Oh yeah. He knew what he wanted.
“I’ll dry you off before you change.” She tilted her head, looking confused. “I don’t want the room smelling like wet dog.”
She tickled him again. Damn it, how had she figured out he was ticklish? It wasn’t fair. Despite everything that had happened that day they were both laughing when they tumbled out of the shower. He towel-dried her hair as best he could. It wasn’t like he had a hair
dryer. Speaking of which… “Would you do me a favor?”
“Sure.” She folded the damp towel and put it back on the rack.
“Shave me later?”
Her eyebrows rose. Her gaze drifted to his head, her lips twitching. “Trust me that much?”
He stroked her cheek, the bruise fading a bit as he unleashed some of his healing power. He was tired after healing the worst of Julian’s and Tabby’s wounds, but not too tired for what he wanted to do to his mate. “With everything.”
She smiled. “Dig out the camera. I’ve got plans for your ass.” She sashayed out of the room, damp hair clinging to her face, her rounded ass calling to him.
Damn. His mate was so sexy. He ran for his luggage and pulled out the digital camera. “Ready?”
She shrugged and shifted. He snapped the shot and grinned. He already knew he’d won. “Take a look.”
She shifted back and looked. “Well. Damn.” There, in full color, was a wolf with a green tuft right over her eyes. “How come I never noticed that and you did?”
“Wolves are partially color-blind, right?”
“Yeah, we have trouble with greens, they tend to look gray to us.”
“Bears have full-color vision no matter what form we’re in.”
She rolled her eyes. “That was not a fair bet then.”
He smirked down at her. “Hey, I told you and you didn’t believe me. That makes it more than fair.” He narrowed his eyes, his smirk turning to something more feral.
“On your knees, baby.”
She pouted up at him through her lashes before gracefully sinking to her knees.
She knew what he wanted, too. She took his cock in her hot little hand and sucked the head in. Her tongue swirled around the opening, lapping up the precome that had begun to seep from the tip. God, she looked so good with his cock in her mouth, those full, ripe lips wrapped around him, straining to hold him. She sank down, burying her nose in his curls and he damn near lost it right then and there. He didn’t think he’d ever get tired of the way she took him down to the root. He’d never had a lover who sucked him the way she did. She pulled back, dragging her tongue along his length.
“Oh shit.” He was going to blow in an embarrassingly short time if she didn’t take it easy on him. “Stop!”
She stopped, halfway down his cock, her nostrils flaring.
“On the bed. I want a taste too.”
She let him go, only to stand and turn him. He let her, curious to see what she was going to do. She pushed and tugged at him until he was on his back in the middle of the bed, her legs straddling his face, her mouth once more descending on his cock.
Perfect. He had that luscious ass of hers right above him, that delicious pussy riding his mouth. This right here was what he was talking about. He began to eat his mate, licking her in steady swipes, clit to hole, over and over again.
Her mouth paused, her groan sending shockwaves through him. He used one hand to hold her hips steady. The other went to the back of her head. He planted his feet on the bed and began thrusting, fucking her mouth, his fist clenching in her hair. Dominating her, just the way his little Wolf liked it. And from the way her tongue went to work and she groaned around him, he knew he was right.
With her, he could let go, be a little rough, and she’d lap it up and demand more.
God, she was everything he’d ever needed.
Tabby loved it when Alex held her like this, letting her know just how much he desired her. She wrapped her hand around his cock, just in case he thrust a little too hard, and he growled his approval. She took what he was giving her with abandon, wriggling her hips, desperate to get his mouth right where she wanted it.
Oh yeah. Right there. He sucked her clit into his mouth and hummed and that was all she needed. She came, howling around his cock, her tongue working furiously to bring him off.
But he wasn’t done with her. Not yet. That hand in her hair tightened, bringing a fresh spurt of pleasure with the stinging pain. He pulled her off him, rolled her beneath him, and attacked her pussy with his mouth, nibbling, licking, sucking until she was screaming under him, begging him to fuck her. It didn’t even occur to her until he moved that he’d kept his cock from her mouth. He rolled around and impaled her in one long stroke, fucking her like a madman. She wrapped her legs around his waist and clung to him, her nails raking his biceps, leaving long scratches on his back. His hazel eyes darkened and he snarled down at her. He took her hands in his and held them over her head, ignoring her growl of protest.
He bent his head and nipped her breast, licking all around her nipple until she was ready to bite him in frustration.
When he marked her there, right above her nipple, she came so hard she almost passed out.
“Yes, yes, Tabby,” he ground out through clenched teeth. He pulsed inside her, his eyes screwed shut in ecstasy, a deep, shuddering groan escaping from between his lips.
Alex opened his eyes and bent down to her, taking her mouth in a sweet, soft kiss. His hand was still wrapped around her wrist. “I love you.”
She flexed her hips, earning a groan in response. “I love you too.” She grinned.
“Now, can I have my arms back?”
“I don’t know.” He flexed his own hips, making her gasp. He was still hard. “I don’t think I’m done with them yet.”
She licked her lips and dragged one foot from his back down to his ankle, stroking him with it. “Well, if you’re still using them, I suppose I could let you keep them a while longer.”
His grip tightened, but not so much that he caused her a moment’s pain. Just enough to tell her she wasn’t getting out of this bed any time soon. “Let me?”
She kept the grin off her face, doing her best to look sultry. She wasn’t done with him, either.
“Emma?” She didn’t know why the Curana had demanded Tabby come to Wallflowers, but the summons had managed to get her out of the last of the cleanup at Living Art. Glory had grumbled, but Cyn had waved her out the door with orders to return with lunch. That had shut Glory up. Alex waited outside, refusing to leave her alone even long enough to walk to Wallflowers. Whoever had injured his cousin was still out there, and Alex wasn’t taking any chances with her safety.
Inside the store were two people chatting with Emma, but she couldn’t quite get a good look at them. All she saw was a flash of red hair and the tinkling sound of feminine laughter.
“Tabby?” Emma Cannon glided up to her, hands extended. “I have someone I’d like you to meet.”
She caught a strong, feral scent and damn near passed out. Oh. Oh dear. I’m screwed. Behind Emma stood a Wolf and a Puma. The Wolf had waist-length red hair, a nasty scar on one cheek, and eyes the color of a frosty day. He wasn’t the handsomest man she’d ever seen, but there was something about him that demanded your attention and kept it. The Puma was a blonde woman with bright green eyes and an easy smile on her face. She was almost too pretty to be real.
She leaned heavily on a cane, her free hand wrapped around the redhead’s biceps. Whether that was to hold herself steady or just because she felt the need to touch that massive arm, Tabby didn’t know.
“Rick and Belle Lowell, I’d like you to meet Tabitha Garwood, my newest Pride member.”
Rick’s eyebrows rose at the words Pride member.
“Tabby, these are the Poconos Alphas.”
Yup. I’m screwed. She nodded respectfully. “Mr. and Mrs. Lowell.”
“I’ve just been telling them about what happened out in the woods.”
Rick’s power slammed into the room. “Tell me everything.”
Tabby shuddered and did. She told him her date of birth, how her mother’s obstetrician had declared her a girl, how her mother had knitted her first cap.
She told him about her first scraped knee, her first fistfight, her first kiss. Then she told him how she’d been made Outcast, abandoned by Pack and kin. She told them how she had lived like a Wolf for years, found her way to Halle and me
t Mrs. Anderson. She described Gabe, Julian, Alex, Ryan, Cyn, Glory, and Brit, the girl who couldn’t handle a drunken Wolf. She told him about Gary’s stalking and how the Pumas had saved her and claimed her as their own.
She almost told them about all the sex she and Alex had been having. She decided at the last minute they probably weren’t interested, since by that point, both Rick and Belle’s eyes had begun to glaze over.
By the time she was done, Emma’s mouth was hanging open. “Note to self. Never ask Tabby to tell me everything.”
“Can I have a drink of water?” Tabby croaked. Her mouth was parched, but at least that heavy weight of the Alpha’s power was gone.
Rick had a bemused look on his face. “Are you done?”
“God I hope so.” Belle limped toward the sofa, ignoring the way Rick nearly jumped to her side. “I don’t know if I can handle another round of This Is Your Life.” She settled in with a sigh, rubbing her hip with a wince.
“Who was your old Alpha?”
She stared at Rick. Hell, at least he won’t head to Georgia and try to eat him.
“Dennis Boyd, sir.”
“Out of?”
“Marietta, Georgia.”
“Address.”
She supplied it with a wince. She figured he’d check up on her story and decide for himself whether or not she could stay.
“Calm down, Fido. You’re scaring the crap out of her.”
Tabby blinked and turned toward the Luna. “Ma’am?”
Belle glared at her. “Don’t ma’am me. Makes me sound like my mother.” Belle’s glare turned into an evil grin that had Tabby backing up a step. “Tell her, Rick.”
“We’ve already checked out your story, Tabitha.” She turned back to look at the Wolf Alpha. His expression had softened significantly, making him much more approachable. He might even be likeable. “Dennis Boyd is no longer the Marietta Pack Alpha. His son has taken over for him. He’s been Alpha for about two years now, and he’s been trying to find you. He wants to make amends for what was done to you.”
“He wants you to go home. Even your parents want to see you again. They know now what the Alpha did was wrong.” Belle patted the cushion next to her. Tabby fell into the seat, stunned by what she was hearing. “You have options. One, you can do what Micah wants and return to Marietta. No doubt everyone will want to fawn all over you and show you the boo-hoo, oh-how-sorry-we-ares. Two, you can stay here in Halle and tell them to go fuck themselves, thank you very much.
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